Koo: Release of Sniper Pod Footage Demonstrates Taiwan's ISR Capabilities

(CNA, Taipei, June 20, by reporter Wang Yang-yu) Legislators today questioned the Ministry of National Defense (MND) about the significance of releasing surveillance footage from an F-16's Sniper Pod, in light of the Chinese military's recent combat readiness patrols. Defense Minister Wellington Koo stated that China is deliberately trying to undermine the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and is the provocateur. He added that the release demonstrates the Taiwanese military's intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities and its full grasp of the situation. The Legislative Yuan today invited Premier Cho Jung-tai, Koo, and others to report on the formulation of the special budget for the first batch of procurements under a plan to safeguard national security and enhance asymmetric combat capabilities, and to answer questions. The MND stated on the 19th that Chinese military aircraft had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, intruding into the northern, central, southwestern, and eastern airspace, in coordination with naval vessels, under the guise of a "joint combat readiness patrol." The military also released footage of an Air Force F-16V fighter equipped with a Sniper Pod monitoring a Chinese aircraft from behind, and a Navy Su'ao-class ship monitoring a Chinese warship in the southwestern waters. Regarding these issues, DPP legislator Wang Ting-yu asked during a questioning session what message the MND intended to convey by disclosing these ISR photos. Koo said that China's implementation of a joint combat readiness patrol on May 19 reflects its deliberate intent to damage the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, making it the provocateur. For Taiwan's armed forces, it demonstrates their ISR capabilities and their ability to fully grasp the situation in the Taiwan Strait. Wang then asked about former U.S. President Donald Trump's statement after a visit to China that a decision on a US$14 billion arms sale to Taiwan would be made "soon," questioning when that might be. Premier Cho Jung-tai said it was difficult to predict when "soon" would be, but that the statements from Trump and other U.S. congressional leaders carried two meanings: that their Taiwan policy has not changed, and that they have made no commitments to China. Additionally, the Executive Yuan today passed a special budget for military procurement. The items in this special budget include five systems: the M109A7 self-propelled howitzer, the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system, an anti-armor drone missile system, Javelin anti-tank missiles, and TOW 2B anti-tank missiles. KMT legislator Lin Pei-hsiang questioned issues related to the HIMARS, stating that combat capability is truly determined by ammunition reserves, resupply capacity, and sustainable wartime production. He asked how much precision ammunition would be available if a war were to last longer than two weeks. Koo stated that after two years of consultations with the United States, the proposed items all align with asymmetric warfare capabilities. He noted that the legislator's point about combat sustainability was a very good one, but in the draft of the special defense bill proposed by the MND this time,